


The Haunted Tree-house

by DaisyFairy



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Sneaky Rosie, ghost hunt - Freeform, halloweenlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 07:38:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12405963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyFairy/pseuds/DaisyFairy
Summary: Set about 7 years after series 4 and John and Sherlock have drifted apart. Will a haunted tree-house be enough to bring them back together?





	The Haunted Tree-house

**Author's Note:**

  * For [May_Shepard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/May_Shepard/gifts).



> This is my entry for the 2017 Halloweenlock challenge. Enjoy :-)

“Daddy?”

“Mhmm?” John replies as he searches in a pile of washing for Rosie’s P.E. kit.

“Can we go to Nana Hudson’s after school?”

John pulls the clean t-shirt out and turns to look at his daughter. She is getting taller every day and her blonde curly hair is arranged in a ponytail that she very proudly did herself and John daren’t mention how wonky it is. She has a look on her face that the last eight years as her father have taught him means that she is up to something.

“I thought you wanted to go and buy a Halloween costume after school, why do you want to go to Baker Street?”

Rosie peeks at him through her lashes and then looks down at her feet, “We just haven’t seen Nana for a while.”

John raises an eyebrow and waits.

Rosie looks back up and their eyes lock. “Nana Hudson makes much nicer food than you do.”

John’s face splits into a grin and he grabs his daughter around the waist and wrestles her to the ground giggling. “Oh really Rosy Posy, I feed you bread and gruel do I?”

She wriggles and tries to escape as he tickles her, until he glances at the clock and realises they are going to be late if they don’t hurry. Pulling her to her feet John kisses her forehead and subtly rearranges her hair. “I’ll call and ask if it’s ok. Come on, we need to get you to school or we’ll both be in trouble with Mrs Smith won’t we?”

\---~~---

Just after 4pm and Rosie barrels into 221A as soon as John has unlocked the front door with the key that somehow he never got around to returning. John follows behind fondly, carrying Rosie’s school bag and coat, and finds Rosie buried in a hug with the only grandmother she has ever known.

Mrs Hudson sees him come in and immediately starts with a gentle admonishment, “John! Oh it’s been far too long, you know you’re always welcome don’t you?”

John takes a seat at the kitchen table and grimaces slightly, “Sorry, I don’t know where the time goes.”

“Oh, I know how it is, the days just fly by don’t they? Now Miss, I hear you don’t like Daddy’s cooking. I have a shepherds pie in the oven. Does that meet with your approval?”

Rosie smiles up at her and nods eagerly. “Thank you Nana. Is Sherlock in?”

Mrs Hudson smiles down kindly, “I think so dear, I haven’t heard him go out today.”

Rosie grins and darts out of the flat, John stands in alarm and calls after her, “Rosie! We don’t want to disturb him, he’s a very busy man.” but she is already gone, footsteps loud on the stairs as she scampers up at full speed.

John stands with his mouth open for a second staring at the open door.

“How long since you’ve seen him?” Mrs Hudson asks gently.

“Um, Rosie’s birthday. He came round with a microscope. A real one, not a toy. He didn’t stay long.”

“He’s doing well I think. Still doing his cases, clients ‘round at all times of the day. Not as loud as he used to be, but, well, I don’t think there have been any more drugs.”

John nods

“Why....”

John interrupts before she can complete the question, “It’s easier. We just got busy. I couldn’t go with him, I had to work, I had Rosie, it was easier to...just let it go.”

Mrs Hudson tilts her head to look out of the flat door, “I don’t think she’s coming back.”

“No. No, it’s seems not. I’ll just...” John replies and gestures towards the stairs.

“Go ahead, dinner won’t be ready for half an hour.”

\---~~---

John peers around the door to 221b to find Sherlock hastily shoving papers into a cardboard file, a glimpse of one of them shows a photograph with lots of blood, he is glad that Sherlock at least seems to realise that some things aren’t suitable for an eight year old’s eyes. Stepping into the room John finds Rosie sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the coffee table studying a crime scene photo, then again maybe Sherlock hasn’t quite learned his lesson. 

Sherlock interrupts his thoughts by murmuring “It’s just a robbery John, no violence, stolen jewellery from a client’s house. Rosie is helping me spot clues that the police missed.” John nods without looking at him, still watching how eagerly his daughter is scouring the photograph for clues.

“Sherlock! There’s a dog in this picture. Didn’t the dog bark when someone broke in?”

“Well done Rosie. No she didn’t, which is a very important clue.” Sherlock beams down at her, “So, what’s the occasion? What have I done to deserve a visit from my favourite little girl?”

John hurries to answer, “We were just visiting Mrs Hudson. Sorry, we shouldn’t have interrupted you. We’ll just be going.”

Before Sherlock can reply Rosie pipes in, “I have a case for you. I wanted to see you because I have a case for you.”

John gapes at his daughter, she manipulated him to come here, to come to Sherlock, because of a case?

Sherlock straightens his spine full alert, “What is it? What’s wrong? Tell me everything.”

Rosie shoves the paperwork out of the way sits on the table staring seriously up at Sherlock. “It’s me and my friend Teigan. She has a tree-house in her garden, and we think it is haunted by a ghost. Her Mum doesn’t believe her but I told her I know a detective who can check it out for us.”

While Rosie has been speaking Sherlock visibly became more relaxed, a gentle smile lighting up his face. “Why do you think it’s haunted?”

“Teigan heard funny noises, and her toys keep moving around in there. She left a packet of biscuits in there one day and when she went back they were gone.”

“Rosie, Sherlock is busy, we really shouldn’t bother him with this kind of....story.”

Sherlock shakes his head seriously “No John, I’m never too busy for a case from Miss Watson. Now tell me, does Teigan have any siblings?” Rosie looks at him in incomprehension so Sherlock amends, “Brothers or sisters?”

“Yes, she has a brother, I think he’s 12.”

Sherlock nods, “Ah, I see, what does he think about the ghost?”

“He said he saw it, it’s big and scary and chased him into the house, but we don’t know whether to believe him.”

Sherlock almost smiles, his lips twitch, but he manages to rein it in. “So what do you think we should do about this then?”

“We thought that you and Daddy could come and stay in the tree-house on Halloween, so we know the ghost will be there, then you can see it and tell Teigan’s Mummy that it’s real.”

“Sweetie, couldn’t Tiegan’s Mum and Dad look for the ghost.” John asks gently.

Rosie looks aghast, “They aren’t detectives! They won’t do it right.”

Sherlock nods, “Quite right Rosie, best leave these things to the professionals. What do you think John? Can you spare the time to come on one more case with me?”

John swallows a lump in his throat and has to take a second before he can reply, “Of course, yes, but, we’ll have to check with Teigan’s parents, and....”

Sherlock interrupts “I’ll leave the details to you. So Miss Watson, ghost hunting on the 31st. Are you joining us?”

“No. It’s too scary, maybe I can have a sleep over at Teigan’s while you are in the garden? Please Daddy, please.”

John shakes his head, this is insane. Ghost hunting? Sleeping in a tree-house? Going on a case with Sherlock again? “I’ll see what I can organise. Come on now. Sherlock’s obviously busy and our dinner must be nearly ready.”

She beams up at him and sets off at a run down the stairs calling behind her, “Thanks Sherlock, see you next Tuesday.”

John flicks his eyes up at Sherlock but can’t stand to look at him for too long, “I’m sorry, I had no idea she was coming up here. You don’t have to do this, I’ll just tell her I couldn’t get it organised, or that something came up.”

“Nonsense. She obviously wants to show off to her friend that she knows Sherlock Holmes, and really who can blame her.”

John throws his head back and laughs, “Bloody egotistical bastard.”

“Yes, well, someone has to keep my self esteem up nowadays, it seems I’ve had to take that task on myself as well.”

Felling suddenly somber again John turns awkwardly to the door. “I’ll text you details, once I’ve organised it. Bye then.”

“Goodbye John, it was good to see you both.”

\---~~---

A week later and John pulls up in the suburban street where Rosie’s friend lives. It turns out that Teigan’s parents had been badgered by their daughter about letting Sherlock and John investigate the ghost and were only too happy to agree to the plan if only so they could have some peace and quiet. 

There is a brief exchange when Rosie is dropped off with a Halloween costume and overnight bag, far too excited about watching spooky films and hearing in the morning whether John and Sherlock had seen the ghost. John has to remind her several times that it’s a school night so she can’t stay up too late, but Teigan’s parents assure him that she is in good hands, and share an eye roll at the girls believing there to be ghosts in the garden.

John makes his way round to the back garden and is eyeing the tree-house dubiously when Sherlock arrives, his collar popped and the swirl of his coat in the twilight bring to John’s mind a vampire’s cloak and he huffs a laugh at the thought of getting Sherlock to dress up for trick or treating.

“What’s so funny?” Sherlock asks.

“Nothing, nothing. Just wondering if this tree-house is going to be able to take our weight, looks a bit rickety to me.”

Sherlock looks up and then pulls on the rope ladder experimentally. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, as long as we don’t do anything too vigorous it should hold.”

John blushes a little at the thought of some of the ‘vigorous’ activities that they could get up to, and is very glad for the darkening sky hiding it from Sherlock. He gestures to the ladder hoping that his pause hadn’t been noticeable, “After you.” He regrets this immensely a moment later when Sherlock makes his way up the ladder leaving John staring up at his round and slightly plump arse peeking out from under the flowing coat. This is just the sort of torture that had made him break contact with Sherlock in the first place. This is an awful plan.

Once they have both managed to scrabble into the surprisingly spacious tree-house and set up torches John looks around carefully. It actually looks more sturdy from the inside. The floor and walls are bare wood, and there are children’s toys scattered around. The roof seems solid enough to keep water out, and the windows have plexiglass in them to keep out the worst of the draughts, but the walls are far from air tight and with zero insulation on the last night in October it is bound to be cold in here. He’s slept in worse, but the army was a long time ago and he’s rather fond of his warm house and comfortable bed nowadays. He starts unpacking sleeping bags and blankets from the bags he had lugged up the ladder and is surprised to see Sherlock examining the windows and walls carefully for clues.

“You know this ghost thing is nonsense don’t you? We’re just doing this to keep Rosie happy.”

“Yes of course I do John. It’s obviously the brother playing a prank on his sister and coincidentally giving Rosie an excuse for a sleep over and to show off her famous....acquaintance. Might as well look around though.”

John starts at the word acquaintance. Surely they are more than that? But he guiltily realises that it is probably true. In keeping his distance from Sherlock he has also kept Rosie away from him, she probably only gets to see her Godfather three or four times a year. He tries to cover for the disquiet he is feeling by brightly offering Sherlock some sandwiches from his bag.

Sherlock smirks, “I see you are very prepared for this stakeout. Remember when we used to just turn up with the clothes on our back and your gun?”

“Yes, well being a parent has trained me to be more prepared. So, cheese or ham?”

\---~~---

They are sitting side by side in the torchlight, eating in silence when the sounds start. Moaning, groaning noises, with the occasional “Wooooo” thrown in. It is exactly the sort of noise two eight year old girls would expect ghosts to make. Smiling to each other and a brief search for the source leads to them finding a child’s walkie talkie taped to the outside of the tree-house just above one of the opening windows. The receive button is stuck down with more tape.

“I wonder what else they have in store for us?” Sherlock laughs, carefully putting the walkie talkie back in place.

“No idea, but it is almost nine, they should be asleep.” John replies shaking his head.

“Oh come now, it’s Halloween, she is on a sleep over, and there is a ‘ghost hunt’ going on in the garden. How can you expect them to sleep at a time like this?”

John chuckles, and then almost doubles over with laughter when the walkie talkie bursts to life again with more “Woooo,” noises. “Ok, ok, I’ll let her off this once.” He returns to his place by the wall to finish his sandwich, and glares up at Sherlock in the near darkness until he does the same.

They sit in silence for while until John can’t stand it anymore, “I’m sorry. I should have kept in touch, but...I got busy. Rosie and work. I just didn’t have time for the cases anymore.”

Sherlock doesn’t reply for a moment, then says in a small voice, “What about me?”

John turns to him, they only have one torch on to save the batteries but he could swear he can see wetness gleaming in Sherlock’s eyes. “I.....”

He is cut off by a loud banging coming from the roof. They are on their feet in an instant.

“The ghost strikes again.” Sherlock declares, then turns off the torch so that he will not been seen and creeps over to one of the windows. Sherlock leans out of the window and John hurries to hold the back of his coat in case he topples. He can hear children giggling from outside. When Sherlock comes back inside he is grinning madly in the pale moonlight.

“They have set up a rope, pulley and a stick. The girls are pulling the rope from a window in the house to knock on the tree-house roof.”

John laughs, “I’m starting to think Teigan’s brother had nothing to do with this at all.”

“Obvious. Your daughter is very sneaky.” Sherlock replies with a slight flinch when a particularly loud bang sounds against the roof.

The two men sit again as the noise continues for several more minutes. Once it has stopped they do not bother turning the lights back on.

John yawns, “I should sleep. I’ve got work tomorrow.”

“Yes. You should sleep. We have nothing else to say to each other.”

“No! No, that’s not what I meant, I didn’t finish what I was saying before. I ... you know I’m no good at this.”

“I am aware.”

“I didn’t mean to cut myself off from you.”

“Yet every time I tried to reach out you rejected me.”

“I was busy. I don’t think you understand how much time and energy children take. Especially on your own.”

“Of course. And that was my fault wasn’t it. You being on your own.” Sherlock replies bitterly angling his body away.

“No. No it wasn’t. I never should have blamed you, I thought you understood that, I thought we’d sorted that out.”

“So did I. But then you stopped visiting, stopped helping with cases, every time I tried to visit it wasn’t convenient.”

“Yeah. Yeah I did. Sorry.”

They sit in darkness, John gets up to shuffle into his sleeping bag when he starts to get cold and throws the other one at Sherlock, who then clambers into it.

They lie still, listening to the wind whistling around the wooden house. Moonlight filtered through the branches wavers on the floor as they are blown to and fro.

“I didn’t want you to go.”

John sighs, pain fills his chest, “I didn’t want to go either.”

“Then why?”

John screws up his courage. This has been seven years coming, it needs to be said, “Because it was killing me. Being almost. Almost with you. Almost having you. But never quite there. I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“I don’t understand.”

John sighs, “That’s the problem.”

“But it was you that didn’t want me.”

“I wanted you too much Sherlock. Always did. You weren’t interested in more than friends and in the end I couldn’t live with just friends.”

“I want to be friends again, I...I’m ready for more than friends, have been for a long time.”

John stills, holds his breath. He reaches for the torch and shines it into Sherlock’s face making him turn his head away from the brightness. “I don’t think you understand what that means.”

“I do. I want more too. It’s true I didn’t know before, before I left, before...I died, but I missed you so much while I was away. It hurt so much. Sometimes the thought of you was all that kept me together. I came back and you were with Mary, then there was Rosie. After....after Mary I tried, but I didn’t know how and you just pushed me away. I’ve been so alone, please John. No more.”

John shuffles forwards, closer. “What are you saying? What do you mean?”

“I love you. I love you John Watson. I need you.”

John sobs and starts to shake, “I love you too, oh God, I love you too.”

The moment is broken by high pitched cheering and screeching from the walkie talkie outside the window. Sherlock gives John a watery smile, “A listening device too, clever.”

John raises his voice a little, “And still not asleep.”

The cheering turns to loud whispers and then shuts off completely.

“I don’t think this was anything to do with tricking us into thinking there was a ghost.”

“No.”

“Your daughter is not only clever, she is a master manipulator.”

“Yes,” and slightly louder just in case the girls are still listening, “I’ll be having words with her in the morning about this.”

“I can’t say I’m not happy with the outcome though.”

“No. Me neither.” John whispers moving closer and pressing a soft kiss to Sherlock’s cheek.

“We could have...”

John puts a finger against Sherlock’s lips, “No could haves or should haves, lets just focus on what we do have.”

Sherlock nods quietly and John moves in for a kiss, lips brush gently, then harder, seven years, hell, over a decades worth of want pouring into it as the kiss deepens. They clutch at each other and gasp as their hips come into contact. Even through their clothes and two sleeping bags they can feel the evidence of their arousal.

“I want you,” Sherlock murmurs against John’s lips “and you want me?”

John whispers back, “Yes, always, but we might have an audience right now, not the best time.”

Sherlock nods and kisses John again slowly and gently, “Soon?”

John deepens the kiss and pulls back to whisper directly into his ear, “I’ll take Rosie to school in the morning and call in sick to work, we can have the whole day.”

Sherlock laughs, or sobs, John can’t be sure and they stay close, lips just brushing and sharing the same breath. John can see Sherlock’s eyelashes glistening in the moonlight, but seeing as he has tears making a trail down the side of his face he doesn’t mention it. After a small eternity John licks his lips and says, little more than a breath, “We should sleep.”

“Yes, we should.” Sherlock murmurs.

A final soft peck to Sherlock’s lips and John ducks his head down to tuck it under Sherlock’s chin. Arranging himself as comfortably as he can on the hard floor John slings an arm over Sherlock’s waist and holds him close as they fall asleep.

\---~~---

John wakes up cold and sore from sleeping on the wooden floor, but none of that matters because he also has the love of his life wrapped around him snoring softly into his hair. He takes a few moments to just breathe, savour this just in case it is some huge mistake, and before he realises it has slipped back into sleep. 

He only wakes again when he hears his daughter’s voice over the walkie talkie and smiles groggily.

“Daddy! Teigan’s Mummy says we need to go soon, are you and Sherlock getting up?”

John is sorely tempted to say no. Just hide in here for the rest of the day, maybe forever if he can convince Sherlock to stay. But it isn’t really appropriate to turn a children’s playhouse into their love nest, and he is fairly sure that a lot of the things he has been dreaming of doing with Sherlock will be much easier in a proper bed. He shakes Sherlock awake and kisses his forehead before fetching the walkie talkie from outside and pulling the tape off so that he can answer.

John pushes the send button, “We’ll be down in a few minutes, are you ready for school?”

“Yes Daddy. See you in a minute, bye.” Rosie replies.

A few minutes of shoving blankets into bags and the two men make their way down the ladder. They are greeted by two girls in their school uniforms looking incredibly smug.

“Daddy, Sherlock, did you see the ghost?” Rosie asks cheekily.

John purses his lips and shakes his head. “No. Sorry Teigan, I really don’t think there is a ghost. I think someone was playing a trick on you.” 

The two girls giggle, and Teigan runs off when her Mum calls her from the front of the house.

John crouches down to be on the same level as Rosie, “I blame myself for this, I shouldn’t have let you watch ‘The Parent Trap’.”

“Do I have two Daddy’s now?”

John looks around nervously, but breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Sherlock watching them with the happiest expression he has ever seen on the man’s face.

“We will talk more later. School now.”

Rosie skips happily off to the car and Sherlock takes John’s hand to help him up, then just....doesn’t let go. They exchange a look and a squeeze of fingers then make their way around the side of the house to the car.

\---~~---

They drop Rosie off, and John makes his call to the surgery claiming an unspecified virus has laid him low.

When they reach Baker Street, John feels a moment of awkwardness. It has been so long since he allowed himself to feel comfortable here, but as soon as he sees the way that Sherlock is looking at him the years just fall away. It is the most natural thing in the world to hold him close, to cradle Sherlock’s face in his hands and kiss those lips.

They make their way to the bedroom hand in hand and it is as if the outside world no longer exists. It is soft and slow, clothes are discarded and they fall to the bed entangled in each other. Gentle caresses and tender touches with murmured reassurances give way to heaving breaths and sweat soaked brows, straining muscles and hands scrabbling for purchase. John cries out Sherlock’s name as he reaches his peak, and seconds later Sherlock follows with gasping breaths and an unwavering focus on John’s eyes. 

Afterwards they lie together under the sheets, legs tangled and fingers entwined, just breathing and marvelling in what they have. It takes twenty minutes before Sherlock breaks the silence.

“When are you moving back in?”

John laughs, stops, then laughs again, “I have a home, you could come and live with us.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

John clutches him tight and giggles into his shoulder, then kisses his cheek. “I need to talk to Rosie first, we can’t just move her here without asking her.”

“This was her plan.” Sherlock retorts.

“Yeah. Still.”

Sherlock nuzzles the top of John’s head “But if she says yes?”

“Then we move in by the weekend, and you are going to have to clear out all dangerous and traumatising things from the flat.”

Sherlock almost purrs in satisfaction, “You’re the only dangerous thing I need.”

John squeezes his hand. “You won’t get bored? If Rosie’s here you are going to have to be a lot more careful.”

“Never. With you and Rosie around I will never get bored.”

\---~~---

A year later, 6pm on Halloween night and the Holmes-Watson family (in spirit if not in law...yet) make their way out of their home on Baker Street into the dark streets of London. Cloaks and fangs in place, pale makeup expertly applied by the resident master of disguise, and ready for a night on the other side of the tracks. 

For one night they will be the evil that stalks these street, the ones that make all innocent Londoners tremble, they will terrorise the town, the only thing that will stay their hands will be bribery in confectionary form. At least for the next hour and a half, until the smallest vampire has to go to bed, and her two Daddies can spend the rest of the evening celebrating the anniversary of their first kiss, and making things go bump in the night.

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't turn out as spooky as I intended but I hope you enjoyed it, if you did please consider leaving kudos or a comment and make my day.
> 
> You may also wanted to check out my entry for Halloweenlock 2016 [Haunted](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8443279).


End file.
